Lance Stroll has undergone surgery on his hand after the Aston Martin driver had to miss the Spanish Grand Prix, but doubts remain about if he will be racing in Canada.
The Silverstone team were reduced to a one-car crew at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last week as Stroll withdrew from the Spanish GP following qualifying. Aston Martin cited his absence to pain in his hand and wrist as a legacy of Stroll’s 2023 pre-season cycling crash.
Aston Martin also announced that Stroll required surgery, which they confirmed on Tuesday has been completed by Dr Xavier Mir and his team. The renowned MotoGP surgeon also led Stroll’s surgery in 2023 after the 26-year-old broke both of his wrists and he missed testing.
Stroll had qualified P14 for the Spanish GP, whereas teammate Fernando Alonso reached Q3 and went on to score the 43-year-old’s first points this year in P9. His 0.535-second deficit to Alonso in Q2 is said to have made Stroll lose his temper in Aston Martin’s garage in Spain.
Aston Martin do not have an agreement for Valtteri Bottas to replace the injured Lance Stroll
Stroll now hopes the 2025 F1 season having a one-week break prior to heading to the Aston Martin star’s home event on June 13-15 is enough for him to return at the Canadian GP. But the Silverstone squad may need a replacement and their normal reserve drivers are all busy.
The 2025 Canadian GP will clash with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne are both due to be racing. And SPEEDWEEK reports that Aston Martin do not have an agreement with Mercedes that automatically lets them bring in Valtteri Bottas.
READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Aston Martin have access to Mercedes’ reserve drivers including Bottas through their power unit supply deal, which expires after 2025. Yet unlike the other Mercedes-powered teams in McLaren and Williams, Aston Martin require a separate deal for them to step in for any race.
So, Aston Martin could face having to make Drugovich or Vandoorne abandon their Le Mans seat if Stroll cannot return for the Canadian GP. Stepping in for Stroll would yield Drugovich’s F1 debut, while Vandoorne last entered an F1 race with McLaren at the 2018 Abu Dhabi GP.
Felipe Drugovich is ready to ditch Le Mans if Lance Stroll will not be racing in Canada
It is also said that Drugovich would abandon his Le Mans drive to replace Stroll in Canada for the chance to debut in Formula 1 with Aston Martin. The 25-year-old has been their reserve driver since September 2022, having joined straight after sealing that term’s Formula 2 title.
But Drugovich has been consigned to a test and development role, with Aston Martin using the Brazilian in six FP1 sessions to date. He most recently appeared at the 2025 Bahrain GP, so Drugovich is even familiar with the AMR25 in which Stroll has scored 14 points this term.
Yet despite Aston Martin lacking an agreement with Mercedes that automatically gives them access to the Finn, Bottas has stated he’s ready to replace Stroll in Canada if the 35-year-old is required. He returned to Brackley this season as Mercedes’ reserve after leaving Sauber.
READ MORE: Valtteri Bottas’ life outside F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin
Bottas has driven McLaren’s 2023 F1 car to familiarise himself with their set-up in a TPC test, but he has not driven an Aston Martin before. Yet he most recently raced in F1 in December, when Jolyon Palmer hailed Bottas’ ‘extraordinary’ Q1 lap at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Nastola native penned his 247th Grand Prix entry and 246th start at Yas Marina, where Bottas set the second-fastest lap time in Q1 for Sauber. His 1:23.481 was only 0.179s behind Charles Leclerc and preceded Bottas qualifying P9, just to then crash with Kevin Magnussen.
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